Phone: 800.279.2667 | Fax: 701.577.3777
Award-Winning Course
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Hole view of The Links overlooking Lake Sakakawea.
Award-winning Course Dedicated to Community
Perched on windswept bluffs 28 miles outside Williston, The Links of North Dakota delivers something unexpected in the Upper Midwest: a true, old-world links golf experience with bentgrass greens and fairways in a uniquely scenic locale.
“It’s just a beautiful piece of property,” said owner Tom Powers. “You can see Lake Sakakawea from most of the tee boxes. We’ve done everything we can to keep it natural.”
Course designer New York architect Stephen Kay considered the championship course one of his masterpieces. With a minimalist philosophy, he moved only 7,000 cubic yards of earth, compared to the 250,000 typical for modern courses.
The unique layout preserves the raw contours, native grasses and rugged beauty of what was once known as Red Mike Hill. Underfoot is sandy loam soil that mimics coastal firm and fast conditions, inviting golfers to play the ground game.
Eighty-five bunkers mark the par- 72 routing with no water hazards, but plenty of wind. It provides an experience that defies assumptions and earns national acclaim, frequently being named the No. 1 golf course in North Dakota by Golfweek and Golf Digest.
In 2025, the National Golf Course Owners Association honored The Links with both Regional Course of the Year and a National Player Development Award – the latter reflecting its standout junior golf program.
Cheryl Powers, Tom’s wife organizes the junior program, which served 120 young golfers last summer. To keep it accessible, they offer a scholarship program and supply clubs when needed.
“The kids get well instructed. Last year, we had a PGA affiliate and 15 coaches total,” Cheryl said.
That PGA affiliate is currently Mitch Fifer,
who was born and raised in nearby Tioga.
“We have always had a PGA professional to run the golf side of the business,” Tom said.
Tom credits Superintendent Gustavo Rodriguez, a member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, and his team for maintaining tournament-quality conditions despite brutal winters.
“Gustavo has been with us for four years now and he was instrumental in supervising the course renovation,” Tom said.While it consistently earns national acclaim, the course is equally committed to community involvement. The Links is a regular fundraising locale.
Tom credits former partner John Kasmer, who died in 2025. The much missed “big man with a bigger heart,” launched the annual Kasmer Aafedt Golf Tournament and raised close to $5 million for area nonprofits over a decade.
While it consistently earns national acclaim, the course is equally committed to community involvement.
“He was definitely, in my opinion, the best fundraiser this community has ever had and that’s partly because he always put the first dollar in,” Powers said.
There’s a similar skin-in-the-game scrappiness in the course’s origin story. In the early 1990s, a local golf enthusiast noticed the region had no 18-hole course within 120 miles and gathered local supporters behind the idea to build something extraordinary.
Construction began in 1994 with just $1.5 million and no corporate financing. In 2002, after financial struggles threatened closure, a group of local investors calling themselves “Save Red Mike LLC” purchased the course at auction.
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Tom Powers,
owner of The Links.
Among them were businessman John Kasmer and Tom and Cheryl Powers, who today continue to pour sweat equity into the course.
Tom calls himself free labor and insists the course could not run without Cheryl, who handles bookkeeping, clubhouse operations and much more “for no money – maybe a hug,” he said.
Every dollar goes back into the course, including millions over two years to replace the irrigation system, build a 25-acre-foot retention pond, renovate the clubhouse, construct a new deck and cart storage building, purchase 80 new carts and upgrade maintenance equipment.
Named the second most affordable course on Golfweek’s Top 100 list, The Links continues to draw golfers near and far. It’s often a destination for those staying in the on-site cabins and RV camping facility.
The greatest reward for the Powers is seeing people young and old enjoying all the course has to offer.
“Nothing puts a bigger smile on your face,” Tom said.